Student and Youth

Sexual orientation and gender are important aspects of a young person’s identity. Understanding and expressing sexual orientation and gender and developing related identities are typical development tasks that vary across children and youth.

LGBT youth face often face unique challenges, both at school and at home. Discover organizations here.

You have the right to be yourself!  Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth shouldn't have to fear going to school, using a public restroom, or standing up for their rights with government officials or police. Young people should have the freedom to be open (or not) about their identity and beliefs in schools, at college, in government facilities, and in public.

Find a wealth of resources for supporting LGBTQ youth at home, in school and in the community.

The resources below are designed to increase the educational community's understanding of the challenges our lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth face in school. Gender identity and expression are included topics. Please share with us additional school-focused resources.

There's a ton of information about schools issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth both on the ACLU's website and elsewhere on the web, but sometimes it can be difficult to find your way to the resources you need online.

Download the Bullying and LGBT Youth Factsheet (PDF).

The past few years have shed light on the daily injustices faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, or LGBT, students at schools across the country.

Learn more about the unique circumstances of LGBT youth.

Out Online: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth on the Internet examines the online experiences of LGBT students in 6-12th grade. LGBT youth experience nearly three times as much bullying and harassment online as non-LGBT youth, but also find greater peer support, access to health information and opportunities to be civically engaged.

Pieces from the resource series, "Promoting Resiliency for Gender Diverse and Sexual Minority Students in Schools," are provided where most pertinent in the sections below. The series is a useful stand-alone resource that was produced by Div. 16 (School Psychology) and Div. 44 (Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues) of the American Psychological Association.